Playa Santa – My Favorite Beach

April 19, 2019 by Raul Colon

Playa Santa – My Favorite Beach

Landscape Photography

of Puerto Rico by Raúl Colón

RJC_1104-3 Playa Santa - My Favorite Beach

My Favorite Beach Playa Santa!

When I was in college this was the Beach I visited the Most. I have memories from visiting this beach as a young boy, in High School, and as an adult.

It also happens to be my daughter's favorite beach. So every chance we have to drive over to Playa Santa in Guanica, Puerto Rico we take the opportunity.

Playa Santa in Guanica is the first beach I visited as a Baby

Last year as I visited Playa Santa with my Dad he gave me a good reason why I might be so attached to this beach. Apparently, I was weeks old when Dad and Mom decided to put me in water as summer approached in 1980.

Playa Santa is one of my happy places. We all have a happy place.

Which one is your happy place? Do you really know all the reason why that specific place is your happy place?

Every time I visit my favorite beach I find new reasons to keep loving it.

Equipment Used

Here is the answer to a question I get often. What photography equipment am I using?

Nikon Z7 Mirrorless Digital Camera

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

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¡Que Bonita Bandera!

January 11, 2019 by Raul Colon

¡Que Bonita Bandera!

Landscape Photography

of Puerto Rico by Raúl Colón

The Puerto Rican Flag

There are multiple variations of the Puerto Rican flag. Locally depending on what Political Party is in Power, they switch from the Original Color which is the one above to one that represents more the United States Flag.

In my case I prefer the original version, not only does it represent how many have fought for the rights of this Island but it's the reality we live as being second class citizens living in a colony of a nation that benefits heavily from the relationship.

At one point it was illegal to possess a Puerto Rican flag and you could be thrown in jail for it. If always carry the version of the Resistance Flag in my backpacks as a reminder of how much we have to work hard to get what is right for our Island.

Yesterday as I was in a photo shoot with two clients I saw this flag on the beach. I had no option but to return and photograph this image of our beautiful flag flying on Condado Beach.

Equipment Used

Here is the answer to a question I get often. What photography equipment am I using?

Nikon Z7 Mirrorless Digital Camera

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

Support My

Photography of Puerto Rico & Abroad

Purchase Prints, Digital Copies, or a Canvas

Puerto Rico's Beaches

From Isla Verde to Cabo Rojo...

Get Images

Old San Juan

500+ Years of Architecture...

Get Images

Outside of 100 X 35

My trips outside of the Island...

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My 3 Words for 2019

January 1, 2019 by Raul Colon

Skip over to My 3 Words

I am sitting here writing and preparing my 3 words for 2019 with a smile. This past year 2018 was one of the most challenging but yet most rewarding years in many aspects.

This year was one marking the rebirth of many things as we also take a moment to remember the deaths of those who passed during and after Hurricane Maria. Even today the first year of 2019 and 468 days after the Hurricane devasted the Island, parts of the Island are still without electricity and face other issues.

The Ghost of Hurricane Maria Haunts Many Of Us

I've been through many hurricanes and tropical storms. As Islanders, you don't have a choice but to be resilient and deal with what cards you have been ten. Hurricane Maria left scars that you can see in every corner of the Island, exposed many more scars than what people thought, and brought to the forefront the number of people that passed during and after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.

The Balance of Being Ready for The Worst but Expecting the Best Outcome

The past year most of my decisions have been influenced heavily by being able to survive another event like Maria. Although they have had some influence, I have chosen to push through with my decisions and hope for the best while working 10 times as hard to accomplish what we wanted.

The reality is that putting in the extra effort working seven days a week for most of the year paid off and allowed us to feel we are as ready as we can be. There is always room for improvement.

Getting Back to the 3 Words Exercise

Since 2010 I have been using my good friend Chris Brogan's advice in choosing 3 words to guide me throughout the year. Over the years I take the last weeks of the year to reflect on what I have done well, what I failed at, and what I can improve and continue doing.

This exercise involves in looking at the results of my efforts on the personal and business side. I also make notes of the words I think will help me maintain a course towards what I want to accomplish in the near future.

I favor action words which remind me that I need to correct a behavior or focus on a specific goal that I have set for myself.

Getting Ready for the New Year 2019

Once again in an effort to get ready for 2019 I choose three words that will guide me throughout the new year.

So here I share with you my three words for 2019.

My 3 Words for The New Year 2018

Capture

Regenerate

Accountability

Capture

One thing I continue to work on outside of my business goals is my photography. I recently invested in new equipment and I have been working on improving my photography skills even more.

While I was watching one of the many videos that Jared Polin from FroknowsPhoto.com creates to share his knowledge and insight on photography something he said has stuck with me for the past few weeks.

Snapshots vs. Capturing a Moment

He was critiquing how some people take snapshots vs actually capturing a moment with their photography. Those words resonated with me; years ago I listened to Gary Vaynerchuk in front of a small crowd at SXSW talking about how everyone was just taking thousands of pictures but there was no depth to most images people were sharing at the conference in daily life.

I see it every day now when so many people want to become influencers and they strive to promote a brand for free while they continue to spend their dollars. I see it when business owners who think they are entrepreneurs are constantly doing things because their competition is doing it. They are just going through the motions of doing something because someone else did. I might have been guilty of this many times in the past. I have been lucky enough to have friends that are smarter than me and I have had the patience to listen to their feedback and correct what I have done.

So this year I want to make sure I focus on capturing every important moment and opportunity.

By capturing a concept, idea, and/or project you are taken ownership and digging deep to get results from it.

I will do my best not only to make sure I am capturing moments with my camera lens but capturing moments in my personal and business life.

I need to take ownership of the environment that surrounds me and capture the benefits that are tied to that environment.

Regenerate

As a creative person, I tend to continue building and making new things. I remember when I worked at KPMG I went back to the folders in my computer after 9 months of being in the firm. I had created so many tools for management out of their Research and Development Center I had forgotten of a few I had made and that was just in 10 months.

I've been working on my own for almost 11 years now. I usually tend to go back and see what I have done but I don't do it enough. I need to revisit content that went unpublished or an update on my old blogs that can be reused and retouched so that it resonates with the present and the future.

I tend to do the same when building websites for my clients. On too many occasions I can reuse something and style it differently but then once I am in half way I realize I could have saved time by repurposing and regenerating the code, templates, and tools I have already created for myself and my clients.

The first month of the year I am going to focus on consolidating what I have created before, standardizing it, and also making sure I can regenerate new things out of them.

As for myself after Hurricane Maria, I have fallen into a bigger routine than what I use to have. I need to make sure I am covering all the bases with our business and working harder. I need to look at ways to work even smarter than we already work and that means I might need to regenerate my way of thinking.

I think out of my 3 words for the New Year this one might be the most challenging of all three.

Accountability

When I was in college getting my Public Accounting Degree I remember there was one Professor who really cared about us.

Jose Irizarry was always reminding us of the importance of drinking water, using colors to learn, and how accountability can make or break a business.

At that time it was normal for me to hold onto 3 part-time jobs, was in the Army Reserve, at one point in the ROTC, and also took a load of no least than 18 credits per semester.

One occasion Jose called me to the side and told me it was ok to sleep in his classroom. There was scientific proof I could retain more if I was fully asleep than battling the sleep I needed. On many occasions, I would leave a 3 am a shift as a bartender to head over to Class at 730am.

Jose always held us accountable for our actions. He was very fair with us students and like I mentioned before extremely caring.

Jose taught me that there is really no direct translation in Spanish for Accountability although with a few words you can explain the meaning.

This past year our business grew so much we had to work 7 days a week for most of the year. We enjoyed the rollercoaster of a ride but I want next year to become a lot smoother.

I still feel there are areas where I can improve my communication with clients and also hold myself accountable a bit more on many things that sometimes I don't have the time to check as often.

I never had an issue with being accountable for my actions but I think when I use the word accountability this year it's to have a level of more detail into what I would my friend Robbie Vorhaus calls in his book One Less One More.

Robbie explains how every day we need to more of what we love and do less of what we don't. A mantra that I've applied throughout the many struggles.

Accountability when it comes to My Minimalism Journey

Accountability will also help me get back on track to applying minimalism. For some reason, after the Hurricane, I tend to want to have enough in our small apartment so we don't need anything in the case there is another emergency. I want to be prepared.

I feel at this point I am prepared and just need to inventory every item I have and get rid of what I am not using.

Accountability will help me greatly in that process.

I Prefer 3 Words Vs. New Year's Resolutions

I have failed at keeping resolutions, I am more than sure that you have probably failed too.

The most common reasons we fail at our New Years' Resolutions are:

setting unrealistic goals
not keeping track of their progress
forgetting about it
too many resolutions

Don't create a long list of overwhelming items you know you are not going to follow through with.

In my case, this method has worked for me for 7+years so I am going to stick with it for now.

Choosing three words will allow me to focus on less, and allows me enough time to get it right as the year consumes itself.

What approach are you taking? Are you choosing three words or putting the odds against you when following through with a New Year's resolution?

Religious Traditions Behind Resolutions

There are religious traditions behind the New Year's Resolution concept.

As I found on Wikipedia here are a few:

Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year. They would return borrowed objects and pay their debts.
The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named.
In the Medieval era, the Knights took the "peacock vow." At the end of the Christmas season each year they reaffirmed their commitment to chivalry.

Why three words?

I am not a fan of traditions much less religious ones. I want something practical that I can apply throughout the year.

My friend and colleague Chris Brogan introduced me to this exercise years ago. Chris publishes a blog post every year sharing what his three words for the new year will be.

Applying the 3 Words Every Day

It might seem hard to choose three words but even harder to stay on track throughout the year. In the past, I have used a daily software reminder.

Finding a way to remind yourself throughout the year will keep you on track with your three words. It will make it easier for you to commit to them.

"Remember that your day is your week is your month is your year. Your success comes from each choice you make along the path. And it’s always your choice." ~ Chris Brogan

My 3 Words Over The Years

2011
Renew, Focus, and Complete
2012
Sharing, Purpose, and Organic
2013
Brief, Fluid, and Control
2014
Observe, Release, and Substract
2015
Selfish, Sharpen, and Publish
2016
Depth, Reset, and Visualize
2017
Flow, Pause, and Repeat
2018
Map, Explore, & Transfer

Last year as I finished this post it was with a heavy heart. Many of my friends and family still did not have electricity. Some extended family did not even have a roof over their head.

I have seen how hard most people on the Island have worked to left themselves up and make 2018 a great year. Even if it was not that great for many I sure have to admire the amount of energy and the fighting spirit of those who were affected on the Island because of Hurricane Maria.

Happy New Year!

Share Your Three Words

Feel free to share your three words and your approach to starting a new year in the comments area or contact me directly.

Or Comment Below

Last Sunset of 2018

La Perla at a Distance from El Morro

June 21, 2018 by Raul Colon

La Perla at a Distance from El Morro

Landscape Photography

of Puerto Rico by Raúl Colón

DSC_0592-Edit La Perla at a Distance from El Morro

La Perla at a Distance!

We were visiting El Morro Fort which has a historical connection to my family heritage.

At a distance, I did my best to capture the colors of La Perla.

Way before Daddy Yankee's Despacito, La Perla has been the cultural hub of many arts. Before the Hurricane Despacito helped La Perla become a Tourist Spot, after the hurricane there have been and are multiple efforts to help the residents of La Perla rebuild.

La Perla serves as a quick reminder of the many Puerto Ricans that live in poverty before and after Hurricane Maria but are very proud of what they have and work as a community to overcome whatever challenges they have.

Equipment Used

Here is the answer to a question I get often. What photography equipment am I using?

Nikon D7100 24.1 MP DX-Format DSLR

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

Support My

Photography of Puerto Rico & Abroad

Purchase Prints, Digital Copies, or a Canvas

Puerto Rico's Beaches

From Isla Verde to Cabo Rojo...

Get Images

Old San Juan

500+ Years of Architecture...

Get Images

Outside of 100 X 35

My trips outside of the Island...

Get Images

Honoring Hurricane Maria Victims

June 2, 2018 by Raul Colon

A walk to honor the Victims and Deaths of Hurricane Maria and it's aftermath.

This morning my family and I took off and walked for an hour towards the Puerto Rico Capitol building.

It was a great way to honor the many who were not counted but left us early due to the lack of response from the US and Local Puerto Rico Government. On the date, we published this post the Puerto Rico Government still has an official count of 64 deaths. Which triggered the Hashtag #NoSon64, expressing the fact that the number is inaccurate.

Many of the shoes had a story tied to them.

My family and I left three pairs of shoes honoring extended family members that passed away shortly after Maria due to issues created by the lack of response. One of those extended family members was an unborn baby.

I want you to take a moment and think how we can make sure those who are responsible are held accountable for failing Puerto Rico and the many who died.

According to the Harvard Study the death toll is 4,645 but some of our friends that are journalists and have info are guessing the number could be double.

So take a minute and honor those who passed.

Even more importantly think of what you can do to make sure this situation is not repeated in the future.

May the 4645+ Rest in Power!

See Photos

Photos of Shoes

Representing Hurricane Maria Victims

Photos of the shoes placed in front of the Puerto Rico Capitol Building honoring the many deaths caused by Hurricane Maria and the aftermath that the Puerto Rico Government has not counted.